#24 Oilers Face Tough Road Trip at Saginaw Valley State and Wayne State
The Oilers men's basketball team will hit the road for a pair of GLIAC games this week at Saginaw Valley State and Wayne State. The Oilers will play the Cardinals on Jan. 3 at 6 p.m. and then battle the Warriors on Jan. 5 at 1 p.m. in Detroit, Mich.
Sights and Sounds
All Oilers basketball games can be heard on 88.3 FM "WLFC" or on the internet via their website.
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The Series
The Oilers hold a commanding 17-2 lead in the all-time series against Saginaw Valley State dating back to the 1992-93 campaign when the Cardinals were victorious by a score of 75-67.
Findlay came away with a 75-63 win over Saginaw Valley State last season in Croy Gymnasium behind 18 points from Kyle Caiola.
Sean Samsel and Jack Smith added 13 points apiece while Brad Piehl and Greg Kahlig each scored ten.
The Oilers hold a 24-16 advantage in the all-time series against Wayne State dating back to the 1990-91 campaign when they came out on top by a score of 80-79.
The two programs split their regular season series last year with each team winning on their home floor. Findlay also claimed a 63-61 win over Wayne State in the second round of the GLIAC Tournament on a jumper by Caiola with only three seconds remaining.
During the regular season, the Oilers won 68-63 in Croy Gymnasium behind 20 points from Caiola and lost 76-63 on the road as Caiola once again led the team with 21 points.
The University of Findlay
The University of Findlay men's basketball team ran past the Racers of Northwestern Ohio by a score of 74-38 on Saturday, Dec. 29 in Croy Gymnasium.
The #24 Oilers shot 42.6 percent (26-of-61) from the floor and held the Racers to 23.8 percent (15-of-63) shooting clip. Findlay also forced 19 turnovers, which resulted in 14 steals.
The Oilers also held a 20-5 advantage in second chance points and saw their bench out-score the Racers bench by a 39-11 margin.
Junior forward Greg Kahlig led the way with 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting while freshman forward Dylan Kaufman established new career-highs with 14 points, six rebounds and four steals.
Senior forward Brad Piehl also reached double figures with ten points to go along with seven rebounds while junior forward Mark Frilling and freshman guard Alphonso Baity had eight points apiece.
For Findlay's 2012-13 season statistics, please click on the following link:
For Findlay's 2012-13 roster, please click on the following link:
Saginaw Valley State University
The Cardinals are 6-3 on the year with a 3-2 record in conference play. Chris Webb has led the team and is averaging 18.4 points per game.
Brett Beland is also contributing double figure scoring on a nightly basis as he is clicking for 11.2 points per game.
For Saginaw Valley State's 2012-13 season statistics, please click on the following link:
For Saginaw Valley State's 2012-13 roster, please click on the following link:
Wayne State University
The Warriors are 6-2 on the year and undefeated in the GLIAC with a 5-0 record. Chene Phillips is leading the charge with averages of 18.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
Mike Hollingsworth and Cole Prophet are also averaging in double figures at 15.6 and 11.1 points per game, respectively.
For Wayne State's 2012-13 season statistics, please click on the following link:
For Wayne State's 2012-13 roster, please click on the following link:
Simply the Best
The Oilers have the best winning percentage in NCAA Division II competition since the year 2000, having won 318 games and lost only 66 for an overall winning percentage of .828.
Scoring in Bunches
Junior forward Greg Kahlig is ranked 14th in the GLIAC in points per game as he is averaging 15.1 per outing.
The Oilers are averaging 75.2 points per game this season, the third best mark in the league.
Grand Theft
The Oilers are averaging 8.6 steals per game, which ranks third in the conference.
Senior guard Aaron Robinson leads the team and ranks 11th in the conference with 1.5 steals per contest.
Sophomore forward Jake Heagen is also amongst the league leaders and ranks 13th with 1.3 steals per outing.
Getting to the Line
The Oilers have made a big impact on the offensive end with their ability to get to the free throw line and rank first in the conference in free throws made (189) and second in free throw shooting percentage (77.1%).
The Oilers free throw shooting percentage is also the 17th best mark in the nation.
Individually, senior forward Brad Piehl ranks fourth in the conference with a 88.2 percent shooting mark from the charity stripe while senior guard Aaron Robinson checks in ninth with an 84.6 percent shooting clip from the line.
Raining 3's
The Oilers have made 79 three pointers this season, the second best total in the GLIAC.
Senior guard Aaron Robinson leads the team with 20 made triples while Greg Kahlig has swished 18.
From a percentage standpoint, freshman forward Dylan Kaufman ranks second in the GLIAC in three point percentage, raining down 54.5 percent of his attempts.
Robinson is also amongst the league leaders with a 47.6 percent shooting clip from long range. His percentage ranks seventh in the GLIAC.
Sending it Back
Junior forward Mark Frilling is swatting 1.0 shots per game, the eighth best mark in the GLIAC.
1,000-Point Club
The Oilers have several players who will look to reach the 1,000-point plateau this season.
Senior guard Aaron Robinson has the best chance as he has accumulated 881 points during his tenure with the team.
Junior forward Greg Kahlig has recorded 781 points during his career while senior forward Jack Smith has scored 747 points with the program.
Racking up the Victories
The Oilers have been playing basketball since the 1902-03 campaign and have amassed a 1,429-853-2 (.626) record since their initial season of competition.
A Tough Place to Play
The Oilers are 536-111 (.828) in Croy Gymnasium since they starting playing home games there during the 1969-70 season. The number is even better in the past ten years as the Oilers are a staggering 160-4 at home for a winning percentage of .976.
Dominating GLIAC Home Games
The Oilers have won 80 straight GLIAC games at home during the regular season.
Their last loss at home in conference play came in 70-68 fashion against Gannon University on February 12, 2004.
Handling Non-Conference Foes
The Oilers have posted a 74-3 record (.961) against non-conference opponents in games played at Croy Gymnasium during the past ten years.
Their last loss at home to a non-conference team came against #1 West Liberty State by a score of 90-74 on Nov. 14, 2012.
Conference Championships
The Oilers have won ten GLIAC South Division titles in their 16-year affiliation with the conference and have also won six conference tournaments, capturing titles in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012.
In the last 11 years, the Oilers have won nine GLIAC South Division titles. Overall, Findlay has won GLIAC South Division titles in 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011.
GLIAC Tournament Success
The Oilers sport a 25-6 record in the GLIAC Tournament, winning titles in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012.
Findlay has appeared in the championship game of the event eight times in the past ten years. They reached the finals in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012.
Findlay is tied with Grand Valley State for a GLIAC best six league tournament titles.
Dancing
The Oilers have appeared in ten out of the last 11 NCAA Division II National Tournaments with a 16-9 record, reaching the Elite Eight during the 2004-05 campaign and the Final Four in the 2008-09 season when they captured their first NCAA Division II National Championship.
They also reached the Sweet 16 during the 2007-08 campaign.
Taking Care of Business
The Oilers have never lost a GLIAC Tournament game at home. Since 2002-03, the Oilers have an 18-0 record in GLIAC Tournament games within the friendly confines of Croy Gymnasium.
NCAA Division II Poll
1. West Liberty, W.Va. (13 first place votes) 8-0
2. Metropolitan State, Colo. (1 first place vote) 9-0
3. Alabama-Huntsville (1 first place vote) 7-1
4. Bellarmine, Ky. (1 first place vote) 8-0
5. Western Washington 7-0
6. Cal Poly Pomona 8-0
7. Seattle Pacific, Wash. 8-1
8. Washburn, Kan. 7-1
9. Kentucky Wesleyan 6-0
10. Franklin Pierce, N.H. 7-1
11. Indianapolis, Ind. 7-0
12. Augusta State, Ga. 5-0
13. Assumption, Mass. 8-0
14. Drury, Mo. 7-0
15. Barton, N.C. 7-1
16. Indiana, Pa. 6-1
17. Southern Indiana 6-1
18. Newman, Kan. 9-0
19. St. Cloud State, Minn. 7-1
20. Lincoln Memorial, Tenn. 7-1
21. Minnesota State 8-1
22. Tampa, Fla. 8-0
23. Winston-Salem State, N.C. 7-2
24. Findlay, Ohio 8-2
25. Alaska-Anchorage 8-2
Helpful Links
For more information on the GLIAC, please click on the following link:
For more information on NCAA Division II men's basketball, please click on the following links: